CHAPTER XII
Although the Kangaroo was longing to hear the reason why so many Bushcreatures had collected round Dot whilst she was away, she was tooanxious to carry her to Willy Wagtail before nightfall to wait andenquire what had happened. Dot, too, was so excited at hearing that herway home had been found, that she could only think of the delight ofseeing her father and mother again. So the Kangaroo had hopped until shewas tired and needed rest, before they spoke. Then Dot described theTrial, and made the Kangaroo laugh about the Cockatoo Judge, but she didnot say how it had all ended because the Kangaroo had forgiven Dot forHumans making rugs of her fur, boots of her skin, and soup of her tail.She was afraid of hurting her feelings by mentioning such delicatesubjects. The Kangaroo never noticed that anything was left out, becauseshe was bursting to relate her interview with Willy Wagtail.
She told Dot how she had found Willy Wagtail near his old haunt; howthat gossiping little bird had told all the news of the Gabblebabbletown and district in ten minutes, and how he had said he believed heknew Dot by sight, and that if such were the case he would show Dot andthe Kangaroo the way to the little girl's home. Then Dot and theKangaroo hurried on their way again, the little girl sometimes runningand walking to rest the kind animal, and sometimes being carried in thatsoft cosy pouch that had been her cradle and carriage for all thosedays.
It was quite dusk by the time they arrived at a split-rail fence, andheard a little bird singing, "Sweet pretty creature! sweet prettycreature!"
"That is Willy Wagtail making love," said the Kangaroo, with a humoroustwinkle in her quiet eyes. "Peep round the bush," she said to Dot, "andyou'll see them spooning."
THE KANGAROO CARRIES DOT OUT OF COURT]
Dot glanced through the branches, and saw two wagtails, who looked verysmart with their black coats and white waistcoats, sitting on two postsof the fence a little way off. They were each pretending that theirlong big tails were too heavy to balance them properly, and they seemedto be always just saving themselves from toppling off their perch.Occasionally Willy would dart into the air, to show what an expert inflying he was; he would shoot straight upwards, turn a double somersaultbackwards, and wing off in the direction one least expected. Afterwardshe would return to his post as calm and cool as if he had done nothingsurprising, and say "Pretty pretty Chip-pi-ti-chip!" that name meaningthe other wagtail. Then Chip-pi-ti-chip showed off _her_ flying, andthey both said to one another "Sweet pretty creature!"
At the sound of Dot and the Kangaroo's approach "Chip-pi-ti-chip" hidherself in a tree, and Willy Wagtail, not knowing who was disturbingthem, scolded angrily; but when he saw the Kangaroo and the little girl,he gave them the most cordial greeting, and wobbled about on a rail asif he must tumble off every second.
"This is Dot," said the Kangaroo a little anxiously, and ratherbreathless with the speed she had made.
"Just as I had expected!" exclaimed Willy Wagtail, with a jerk of histail which nearly sent him headlong off the rail. "I should know youanywhere, little Human, though you do look a bit different. You wantpreening," he added.
This last remark was in allusion to Dot's appearance, which certainlywas most untidy and dirty, for, beyond an occasional lick from theKangaroo, she had been five days without being tidied and cleaned.
"I couldn't do it better," said the Kangaroo apologetically.
"It doesn't matter at all," said Dot, putting her tangled curls backfrom her eyes.
"Well! I know where you live," gabbled off the Wagtail. "It's the secondbig paddock from here, if you follow the belt of the sheoak trees overthere. It's a house just like those things in Gabblebabble township.There's a yellow sheep dog, who's very good tempered, and a black onethat made a snap at my tail the other day. There is an old grey carthorse, an honest fellow, but rather dull; and a bay mare who is muchbetter company. There is a little red cow who is a great friend of mine,and she had a calf a few days before you were lost. Dear me!" exclaimedthe gossiping bird, "what a fuss there has been these five days overtrying to find you! I've been over there every day to see the sight.Such a lot of Humans! and such horses. I enjoyed myself immensely, andmade a lot of friends amongst the horses, but I didn't care so much forthe dogs; I thought them a nasty quarrelsome lot.
"I went with the whole turnout to see the search. Goodness! thedistances they went, and the noise and the big fires they made, it _was_exciting fun! They brought over some black Humans--'Trackers' is whatthey are called, at least the Mounted Troopers' horses told me so (myword! the Troopers' horses are jolly fellows!) Well, these blacktrackers went in front of each party just like dogs, with their headsto the ground, and they turned over every leaf and twig, and said ifa Human, a horse or a kangaroo had broken it or been that way. Theyfound your track fast enough, but one evening it came to an end quitesuddenly, and weren't they all surprised! I heard from a Trooper'shorse--(such a nice horse he was!)--that the trackers and white Humanssaid it was just as if you had disappeared into the sky! There was justa bit of your fur on a bush, and nothing anywhere else but a Kangaroo'strail. No one could make it out."
"That was when I took you in my pouch!" exclaimed the Kangaroo.
"Now," said the Wagtail, "most of them have given up the search. Justthis evening Dot's father and a few other Humans came back, and theyellow sheep dog told me the last big party is to start at noonto-morrow, and after that there will be no more attempt to find Dot.Only the sheep dog said he heard his master say he would go on huntingalone, until he found her body. I haven't been over there to-day," woundup the bird, "they are all so miserable and tired, it gave me the bluesyesterday."
"What are we to do? It is quite dark and late!" asked the Kangaroo.
"You had better stay here," counselled the Wagtail. "One night more orless doesn't matter, and I don't like leaving Chip-pi-ti-chip atnight-time. She likes me to sing to her all night, because she isnervous. I will go with you to-morrow morning early, if you will waithere until then."
"Having found your lost way so far!" said the Kangaroo to Dot, "it wouldbe a pity to risk losing it again, so we had better wait for WillyWagtail to guide us to-morrow."
To tell the truth, the Kangaroo was very glad of the excuse to keep Dotone night more before parting from her. "It will seem like losing mylittle Joey again, when I am once more alone," she said sadly.
"But you will never go far away," said Dot. "I should cry, if I thoughtyou would never come to see me. You will live on our selection, won'tyou?"
But the Kangaroo looked very doubtful, and said that she loved Dot, butshe was afraid of Humans and their dogs.
DOT'S FATHER ABOUT TO SHOOT THE KANGAROO]
After a supper of berries and grass, Dot and the Kangaroo lay down forthe night in a little bower of bushes. But they talked until very late,of how they were to manage to reach Dot's home without danger from gunsand dogs. At last, when they tried to sleep, they could not do so onaccount of Willy Wagtail's singing to his sweetheart, "Sweet prettycreature! Sweet pretty creature!" without stopping, for more than fiveminutes at a time.
"I wonder Chip-pi-ti-chip doesn't get tired of that song," said Dot.
"She never does," yawned the Kangaroo, "and he never tires of singing it."
"Sweet pretty creature," sang Willy Wagtail.